Junior Punjab officer named IGP, tensions rise in Pakistan-administered Kashmir

The appointment of a junior police officer from Punjab to the coveted post of Inspector General of Police (IGP) in Pakistan-administered Kashmir has caused unrest within the regional police force, with six senior officers raising concerns about seniority, merit, and institutional morale.

 

The apparent misuse of the Karachi Agreement by the Shehbaz Sharif government has created serious unrest in the chronically unstable region.

 

Captain (retired) Liaqat Ali Malik was serving as a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Establishment in the Punjab Police, a Basic Pay Scale- BPS 20 officer, before he was chosen to be the new IGP of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a BPS-22 position. Malik’s appointment was pushed through even when the police department in Pakistan-administered Kashmir had several serving BPS-21 officials, including one additional IGP. The perception of being left on the sidelines has evoked a strong reaction among the local police officials.

 

Now, the resentful senior police officer from Pakistan-administered Kashmir has written a letter to the region’s Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore stating that they were sidelined by the Islamabad government despite having “longer service records, higher academic credentials, and broader national and international exposure.” Islamabad used the 1949 Karachi Agreement, which overpowers the region’s administration and reduces its autonomy, to parachute in Malik. 

 

The local officials said the agreement is generally to be used when a suitable, qualified official from the region is not available. Expressing concerns over Malik’s appointment when there were several BPS-21 officers from the region, the letter reads “Elevation of a comparatively junior officer to the top position is a departure from established service norms and has caused unease within senior officers of the AJK Police. Such decisions can affect command dynamics and professional cohesion within the force.”

 

A similar case had occurred in 2021, too, when a BPS-20 officer from the influential and politically dominant Punjab province was promoted to the IGP of the BPS-22 rank position of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Sohail Habib Tajik, a DIG from Punjab, had become the IGP, superseding 70 senior police officials. Islamabad’s decisive control over key administrative affairs of the so-called autonomous Pakistan-administered Kashmir has also triggered protests from local people. 

 

Activist Sardar Khyyam Kashmiri asked if the region was a testing ground as the marginalisation of local officials caused damage to their dignity and integrity, and the morale of the police force. “Is there really no capable, honest, and senior officer in the Kashmir Police? Bringing in an officer from outside and ignoring our own senior officers is essentially a declaration of no confidence in our force — and this is outright injustice,” he said. “I request the senior officers of Azad Kashmir Police to submit leave applications in protest.  

 

People of Pakistan slammed the broken government machinery, especially in light of the controversial 27th amendment that strengthened military influence, even as it scaled down judicial and political powers. “When a judge at the 15th seniority position can be brought to another court and made chief justice, everything is possible! Officers protesting are likely to lose their jobs!” said a Pakistani named Waqar.

 

The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee questioned Prime Minister Rathore on why a junior officer was chosen when their region had capable and eligible officials to serve as the IGP. “If senior Kashmiri officers are available, why are they not considered for the top position?” said committee member Shaukat Nawaz Mir. “It is a violation of merit. It is an injustice. Many Kashmiris feared that Malik’s tenure may see further suppression of people fighting for autonomy and civil rights.

 

While one Pakistani called Malik “an extremely imbalanced personality” and unworthy of the IGP position, another held him responsible for atrocities, saying Pakistan-administered Kashmir was “under occupation”.  Kashmiris cited Malik’s earlier links with the Pakistani Army for landing him on the job for which he may not be eligible. “This guy is an utter embarrassment to the police service as he was in the military service !!!” said a Pakistani national Shahid.

END.